In the context of joint tenancy, typically four unities are required for its valid creation: Unity of Possession, Unity of Interest, Unity of Time, and Unity of Title, collectively referred to as the 'four unities' in property law. However, one example of a 'unity' that is not required is the Unity of Marriage.
Joint tenancy is most common among married couples because it helps property owners avoid probate. Without joint tenancy, a spouse would have to wait for their partner's Last Will to go through a legal review process—which can take months or even years.
Joint tenancy is a type of joint ownership of property in the field of property law , where each owner has an undivided interest in the property. This type of ownership creates a right of survivorship , which means that when one owner dies, the other owners absorb the deceased owner's interest .
A Joint Tenancy must include these four unities: Unity of interest: The interest of each owner is equal. Unity of time: The interest of the owners is acquired at the same time. Unity of possession: The owners have the right of survivorship.
The key feature that distinguishes joint tenancy from other types of ownership rights is that the surviving joint tenant(s) acquires the shares held by another tenant upon their death.
Historically, the common law required that in order for a joint tenancy to be created, the co-owners must share the “four unities” of (1) time – the property interest must be acquired by both tenants at the same time; (2) title - both tenants must have the same title to the property in the deed; (3) interest - both ...
With joint tenancy the right of survivorship is implied, so if one joint tenant dies, the other joint tenant or tenants automatically become the owners of the deceased tenant's interest in the property without the property having to pass through probate.
Joint tenants (JT), or joint tenants with rights of survivorship (JTWROS), are the forms of ownership most commonly used by married couples.
For instance, if you're married, the most common way to title your home is Tenancy by the Entirety (TBE).
In the case of joint owners, each owner generally has the right to lease out property that is jointly owned. This means that one owner can enter into a lease agreement with a tenant without the permission of the other co-owner(s).